Production Agriculture

Climate impacts measured in production agriculture

Brenda Ortiz, an associate professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, is researching the impact of weather and climate on agriculture, particularly grain crops like wheat and soybeans. Working with colleagues in Georgia and Florida, Ortiz has shown that variability in rainfall and temperature affects crop yield by influencing both plant growth and development rates and pest and disease dynamics.

Looking for ways to perfect the peanut

Genetically improved peanut varieties promise more drought tolerance for farmers and improved food safety for consumers. Charles Chen, associate professor in Auburn University’s College of Agriculture, is currently researching ways to genetically modify and breed different types of peanuts to become more resistant to droughts in the Southeast, thus reducing the incidence of contamination.

Long-term field experiments offer new breakthroughs

Researchers from the College of Agriculture are using the oldest continuous cotton experiment in the world to find answers to some of the most vexing problems of modern-day agriculture. The “Old Rotation,” established in 1896, is the third oldest field crop experiment on the same site in the United States. This rotation also includes rotations with corn, soybean, and small grains and includes winter cover crops, mainly winter legumes. It was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1988.

HELPING FARMERS SLOW THE SPREAD OF HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS

Discipline and a pro-active attitude are requirements if farmers hope to slow the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds on Alabama cropland. That’s the message being carried by Auburn’s team of researchers and Extension specialists who are traveling to communities throughout the state in an effort to help producers battle a problem that is becoming increasingly severe.